Texas State to host 3-day USDA/NIFA grants workshop, career fair

By Stacy LunsfordUniversity News Service August 14, 2015

The U.S. Department of Agriculture and National Institute of Food and Agriculture will bring a grants and employment workshop and career fair to Texas State Aug. 26-28 with an opportunity to allow hundreds more to virtually connect.

In cooperation with the College of Applied Arts, the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs and the Office of the Provost at Texas State, the three-day event will kick off with a network meeting at the Embassy Suites in San Marcos.

The federal agencies extend the workshop and career event invitation to faculty, students, career centers and universities throughout the entire Southwest region.

Grant workshop participants will be able to attend the sessions online during the daylong event scheduled from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, August 27. About 150 on-site and virtual participants are expected to view and attend the workshop, which will be available via a live online conference stream.

Presenters will discuss funding opportunities related to nutrition, food safety and childhood obesity as well as grant programs in bioenergy, climate, and the environment. Irrigation and small business innovation research also will be part of the seminar.

The USDA Career Fair, which is part of a new initiative by the agency to increase diversity within its workforce, will be held from 7 a.m. to noon Friday, August 28. Other participating agencies at the employment event include the Farm Service Agency of College Station; National Resources Conservation Service of Boerne; Risk Management Agency of Enid, Oklahoma; and the Food Safety and Inspection Service and Foreign Agricultural Service, based in Washington, D.C.